Secret

History Channel – Starting in the 1930′s, Japanese aircraft designers made incredible strides, and by the time hostilities broke out, the Imperial Air Force had some of the most sophisticated and effective planes in the world. SECRET JAPANESE AIRCRAFT OF WORLD WAR II traces the development of the Japanese industry and its famous creations, like the Nakajima Ki-43 Oscar and the Mitsubishi A6M Zero. But the program also exposes the frantic, top-secret programs to produce weapons that would have made these legendary planes seem tame by comparison. With the help of some of the world’s foremost aviation historians, HISTORY UNDERCOVER® reveals how, at the end of the war, Japan was close to unveiling a new generation of rocket and jet-powered planes that could have turned the tide of the conflict.Video Rating: 5 / 5

See how the Stealth bomber was influenced by top-secret plans for a plane designed to drop a nuclear bomb on America. During World War II, German engineers and scientists helped create the most technologically advanced air force the world had ever seen. But even more incredible were the planes they didn’t have time to build. SECRET LUFTWAFFE AIRCRAFT OF WWII makes a strong case that, had the war lasted much longer, Nazi aviation breakthroughs might have led to a different outcome. See captured, formerly top-secret plans for jet fighters, vertical take off and landing craft, swept-wing planes and much more. But most shocking of all was the Horton 18–a long-range bomber intended to drop a nuclear device on America. The decades-old plans for the Horton were invaluable in the development of the American Stealth aircraft! Filled with expert interviews, archival footage and computer creations of these groundbreaking planes in flight, this is a fascinating look at some of the most innovative weapons of all time, the SECRET LUFTWAFFE AIRCRAFT OF WWII.

History Channel – Before the onset of World War II, Germany’s planes were far superior to those of the US and the UK. This program explores how the scientists and engineers improved on technology and helped to defeat Nazi Germany. Using specially commissioned computer graphics, previously unseen archive footage and interviews with aviation experts, this program brings back to life the Secret Allied planes of the Second World War.

I just can’t get enough of this aircraft, the only operational, original WWII Japanese aircraft in the world today ! This is the ONLY WWII Japanese aircraft that is flyable today with an original Japanese WWII engine, the Mitsubishi Sakae 14-cylinder, Model 31 “Prosperity”. A very, very unique and historic sound ! This is the sound of history and it is very likely that this is the ONLY original WWII Japanese aircraft engine that any of us will ever to be able to hear in person. Of course, this A6M5 Zero is owned by the Planes of Fame Museum located in Chino, California. In the late 1970s, this aircraft was restored to flying staus. The engine was restored by the Stewart-Davis Company in Long Beach, California. Stewart-Davis (no longer in business) had a very good reputation for rebuilding radial engines and, according to Ed Maloney (the founder of the Planes of Fame Museum), Stewart-Davis took on the challenge of rebuilding this essentially one-of-a-kind engine and delivered a zero-time powerplant with no issues at all. Over 30 years later, this engine (on the original rebuild) is still going strong. This aircraft was built by Nakajima under license from Mitsubishi in May 1943 and was later captured by US Marines on Saipan in June 1944. It was then shipped to Patuxent River, Maryland in the US for evaluation. About 190 hours of flight time were logged during this evaluation, including some hours by Charles Lindbergh himself. After being declared surplus following the war …